Slashdot Mirror
What Happened to Blue Security
shadowknot writes "Blue Security has published a detailed account of the attack on their servers perpetrated by spammer "PharmaMaster". The attack included a DDoS attack on the Blue Security operational system and a Black Hole filtering attack on the Blue Security website. From the article: "The first attack was to block worldwide access to Blue Security's corporate website (www.bluesecurity.com) by tampering with the Internet backbone using a technique called "Blackhole Filtering". The Second attack was a DDoS attack on Blue Security's operational system."
Considering who Bluesecurity are and what they do, this whole thing has actually seemed to me to serve as pretty good PR for them. It pisses off lots of people, but once the facts were out there pretty much everyone I know got pissed at the spammer, not Bluesecurity. Everyone hates spam, but now they see a spammer taking things to the next level of evil, which really strengthens the image of the "good guys." People who never heard of Bluesecurity before are becomeing ready to do what they can to work against this spammer.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
Looks like Tucow really behaved badly. They cancled an account of a legimite user instead of defeating the attack. The should never have given into the spammer's demands.
PharmaMaster starts another attack and takes down Tucows's DNS servers which were serving thousands of sites, including Blue Security's. Tucows terminates Blue Security's account in an attempt to stop the attack.
[May 3rd 23:23 GMT]
PharmaMaster Boasts Success
Tucows is a company I will never recommend or use to host any of my domains.
Caving in to a spammer/hacker retaliation will not garner much support.
http://www.joker.com/ serves my needs well
Rick B.
This ferocious attack on Blue Security as well as Typepad and TUCOWS is proof that Blue Security's tactics are working. Spammers are scared to death of Blue Frog because it forces them to comply with the spirit of CANSPAM (since it is worthless in practise). They are so desperate that they are damaging the internet backbone to slightly increase the limited time that spam will be profitable.
/. comments urging you to stay away from Blue Frog. Spammers do not have Blue Security's member lists - they are simply DIFFing their entire lists with the opt-outs sent by Blue Frog and sharing their filters with the "mailer community". Yes, some members (not me) have been threatened with, and temporarily recieved, more spam. However, this can't last since spammers who do this are simply fighting fire with gasoline! The more spam Blue Frog users get, the more opt-outs the spammer and client recieve which costs them time and money! Plus, regarding threats to leave Blue Frog, does it make sense that a spammer would remove ANY working email address for ANY reason?
/.er to sign up for a Blue Frog account RIGHT NOW (or whenever they're not getting DOSed) and simply forward your spam to yourusername@reports.bluesecurity.com. You can wait a day or two and send many spams as attachments in one email, or you can let the resident client do it for you. It's so easy and the headlines prove that it really does make a difference.
/.ers, as an informed userbase, to stand up for those internet users who don't know how to stand up for themselves.
Do not listen to FUD-spreading ignoramuses who will no doubt leave many
Who do you trust to solve your spam problem? Microsoft? Your government? If they really cared, wouldn't the problem have have been solved long before spam encompassed 90% of all email? Blue Security offers a realistic, fair, assertive, and EFFECTIVE means of hitting spammers where it hurts - in the database and in the pocketbook. They need your help to make spam an unprofitable, inconvenient vehicle for advertisers.
I urge each and every
Spammers are childishly thrashing around the internet like a bull in a china shop, having a flailing temper tantrum because people dare to stand up for their privacy. It is the duty of
We have the numbers and the motivation. Aren't you sick and tired of these rich criminals wasting our time, defrauding our elders, and endangering our children day after day? If we stand together, just as the spammers stand together to attack Blue Security, then we WILL win.
Sign up for a Blue Frog account ASAP and encourage your friends and family to do the same, as I have. And if you think it's possible to reason with spammers, check out this CastleCops forum thread that shows inside conversations from a spammer message board.